A collection of fun events to keep you busy over the next three months.

DECEMBER

4 Portland, Oregon
Holiday Ale Festival
Warning: Portland’s annual holiday festival is held outdoors in December. But the city makes up for it by providing an ample supply of a classic cold-weather cure: beer. Bundled-up attendees can slurp a variety of popular brews, from Belgians and Barley Wines to Scotch Ales and Stouts. Expect to warm up early, since the four-day event starts at 11 a.m. every day. When you feel brave enough to wander away from the tasting tent, check out the complimentary root-beer garden (for designated drivers), browse the assorted beer merchandise, and enjoy plenty of food and music. Best of all, the featured brews will have a holiday theme. Sample drinks include St. Nick’s Sock Knocker, Brewdolph, and Wreck the Halls—three ways to guarantee a jolly holiday season.

5 Denver
9News Parade of Lights
Ring in a mile-high holiday this month with the celebration of Denver’s 34th annual 9News Parade of Lights. Starting on the 5th, bundled-up visitors can gather along the two-mile route through downtown Denver to watch more than 40 colorful floats, balloon replicas of cartoon characters, marching bands, horse-drawn carriages, and more. You’ll join nearly 375,000 others over the two parade nights; there’s a parade on Friday and Saturday, earning the Parade of Lights a reputation for the highest attendance for any holiday event in the Rocky Mountain region. Friday’s parade starts at 8 p.m. while Saturday’s event starts at 6 p.m. Too cold to go out Friday night? Reach for the remote: The Friday parade will be shown live on TV, bringing the total audience to nearly a million people. If you are brave enough to face the cold, however, don’t forget your long johns: December nights in Denver average about 33 degrees.

5 Park City, Utah
Deer Valley Celebrity Skifest
It’s rare to see stars when it’s snowing, but you can do just that at the Deer Valley Celebrity Skifest, which kicks off on Dec. 5 in Park City, Utah, about 30 miles east of Salt Lake City. The three-day event pits celebrities against the slopes to benefit Bobby Kennedy Jr.’s Waterkeeper Alliance, a grassroots organization that promotes clean water programs and aims to protect the world’s water from pollution. On Saturday, watch stars receive first-rate training from Olympians including Phil and Steven Mahre. Noontime on Sunday, the celebs will be put to the test as they race down a giant slalom course for the gold. Last year, stars like Scott Wolf, Stanley Tucci, and Curb Your Enthusiasm’s Larry David strapped on skis for charity. Can’t make the trek up the mountain? Tune in to CBS two weeks later, where the network will air a special with all the star-studded highlights. Wait a second—Larry David on skis?

6 Cape May, New Jersey
Christmas Candlelight House Tours
From hot cocoa to carolers, what’s not to like about winter? You’ll find both at the 35th annual Christmas Candlelight House Tours in Cape May, New Jersey, located about an hour and a half from Philadelphia. Sponsored by the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving Cape May’s heritage, the house tour takes place over three December Saturdays: the 6th, 13th, and 27th. Stroll through decorated homes, churches, hotels, and inns in the town’s historic district each night from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Don’t miss the Emlen Physick Estate, Cape May’s only Victorian House Museum, fully decked out for the holiday season. Later, stop by the Carriage House Gallery for An Old-fashioned Christmas: Holiday Traditions Through the Years, an exhibit that features model trains and trees from various eras. And if the idea of a long walk home in the chilly evening worries you, never fear: Cape May provides a trolley shuttle—fully heated—that runs all night long.

6 San Francisco
Deco the Halls
If your vision of the holidays isn’t complete without, say, an electric-blue chrome-and-leather club chair, head to San Francisco for the Art Deco and Modernism sale, “Deco the Halls.” The two-day event at the Concourse Exhibition Center is the largest of its kind in the country, featuring more than 200 dealers and hundreds of rare pieces ranging from 1900 to 1980, including furniture, accessories, vintage clothing, books, pottery, jewelry, art, and collectibles. Art Deco, a design style that emerged in the early 20th century, is known for its simple lines inspired by the machine age. Get your fix here, where you’ll find furniture from designers like Gilbert Rohde and Paul T. Frankl as well as decorative accessories from Frank Lloyd Wright and Lalique. Sign up for a walking tour led by the Art Deco Society of California, then head back to the center to see the vintage fashion show, followed by a swing dance where you can triple-step your way into the holiday season.

6 Chicago
Reindog Parade
You remember Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen—but what about Spot? On Dec. 6, Rudolph gets replaced by man’s best friend during the annual Reindog Parade at the Chicago Botanic Garden. For three hours, visitors to the garden can bring their dogs for a visit and a photo op with Santa, watch demonstrations from dog experts, and browse a variety of pet supply stores and vendors offering treats for your dogs or information on local nonprofits aimed at helping Chicago’s canines. Don’t miss the parade: The dogs march along one of two routes and those with the best costumes earn prizes. A costumed Santa walks in the lead and carries a giant baton in the shape of a bone. How else could he get the dogs to follow him?

6 Northampton, Massachusetts
Mayor Higgins’ Hot Chocolate Run
Mix 150 pounds of sugar, 50 pounds of cocoa, and 160 ounces of vanilla extract, add 120 gallons of milk, heat, stir, and what do you get? A reason for kids and adults to go outside in the December cold. The first 2,500 people to register for the 5th Annual Hot Chocolate Run in Northampton (about 30 miles north of the Hartford airport) receive a custom-made, artist-designed mug, and all participants will be served a cup of steaming hot homemade chocolate. You can enter either the 5k run or the 2-mile family walk (strollers, dogs on leashes, and grandparents encouraged). All of the revenue goes to help Safe Passage, a local agency that supports survivors of domestic violence. Kids like walking with the polar bear and penguin mascots, serious runners get a first-rate workout, and everyone enjoys the music and giveaways that follow the holiday festivities. Just don’t forget your mittens.

10 Portland, Oregon
Christmas Ship Parade
Boat shows never go out of season in Portland, even in the dead of winter. This year, more than 50 vessels are expected to participate—one half performing on the Willamette River, the rest performing on the Columbia River. The tradition started in 1954 with just a single boat and has grown almost every year since. Each of the boats arrives completely decorated for the holidays sporting everything from 20-foot Santas to elaborate Christmas lights strung along the masts. After the parade through Portland, the boats will raise their anchors from RiverPlace Marina and sail to North Portland’s St. John’s area for the season’s final bon voyage.

11 Boston
Holiday Pops
Imagine a rendition of “Jingle Bells” that swaps out the traditional warbling for a world-recognized orchestra. Sound unattainable? Well in Beantown you can hear all your favorites performed to classical perfection at the Boston Pops Holiday Series. The Boston Pops performs 32 pre- and post-Christmas concerts from Dec. 11 through Dec. 28, both evenings and matinees. Ticket prices range from $27 to $122, depending on when you go. The annual Holiday Pops has become one of Boston’s most beloved holiday traditions, and it doesn’t neglect the little ones: The event includes six special kids’ matinees, packed with such tyke-friendly activities as a children’s sing-along, pictures with Santa, and a kid-themed food menu. Now doesn’t that beat rockin’ around the Christmas tree?

13 New Orleans
Holiday Home Tour
This month you can help New Orleans retain its local flavor and charm by touring some of the city’s fanciest homes. The annual Holiday Home Tour will open up seven private abodes in the city’s exclusive Garden District. The money you spend will go toward the Preservation Resource Center’s Homeowner Assistance and Neighborhood Recovery Fund, which has helped preserve the city’s renowned architecture for more than 35 years and also aides Hurricane Katrina victims in rebuilding their homes. Your $40 ticket includes a trip to the boutique and café at Trinity Episcopal Church (Bishop Polk Hall), where you can pick up holiday jewelry, handmade wooden spoons, and knitted scarves from more than 40 vendors. Then move at your own pace through the featured homes, which include one owned by author Julia Reed. Nosh on a buffet of sandwiches and other munchies, then jam to live music from local jazz musicians at every stop. Talk about bringing down the house.

13 Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Winterfest Boat Parade
While folks up north hope for a snowy December, citizens of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, celebrate winter their own way: with a waterside party. The Seminole Hard Rock Winterfest Boat Parade gives you a chance to see local boats decorated in top holiday style parade along the Intracoastal Waterway and the New River. Don’t expect just a waving flag or two: These boats get decked out with thousands of Christmas lights, on-board dancers, gymnasts, acrobats, and costumed clowns. This year’s theme is Rocking the Night Away, which will feature boats inspired by Led Zeppelin and the Blues Brothers. Silliness aside, you’ll also find traditional holiday-themed decorations like snowmen and Santa with a bit of a twist—the main attraction will attempt to break the Guinness World Record for most lights worn by a Santa (2,500). Jim Belushi will host the event, and a panel of judges, including U.S. Coast Guard rear admiral Steve Branham, will select the best boats while you cast your vote for fan favorite. The parade kicks off at 6:30 p.m., so trade your hot cocoa for a piña colada and head for the shore.

14 New Braunfels, Texas
Schlitterbahn’s Hill Country Christmas
The world-famous Schlitterbahn Waterpark Resort, located in New Braunfels, Texas, reopens its gates just for the holiday season. So pack up the family and head about 25 miles north of San Antonio to see the water park transformed with more than 1 million lights and all things Christmas. Walk through lit-up arches in the Candy Cane Light Tunnel or lace ’em up at the park’s ice skating rink. Kids can meet Santa, check out Rudolph at the Reindeer Barn, and listen to carolers and street performers strolling the grounds. Don’t miss Christmas Reflections, a light show along the banks of the Comal River, or Holiday Illuminations, which features animated sculptures moving to popular holiday tunes. The event lasts daily until Jan. 4, with the exception of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Before you leave, stop by the Christmas Shoppe next-door. The year-round store, housed in a 150-year-old Hill Country home, has three floors where the holiday season truly never ends.

17 Newport Beach, California
The Christmas Boat Parade
Trade snow for sand this December in Newport Beach, California. Located between Los Angeles and San Diego in Orange County, the city celebrates a monumental anniversary with its 100 Years of Cheer, commemorating the first annual Christmas Boat Parade in 1908. The oldest parade of its kind in the United States, the five-day event draws more than 1 million people every year. Festivities kick off each evening at 6:30 p.m., when nearly 100 decorated yachts cruise their way around a 14-mile path in Newport Harbor. People can gather in restaurants, beaches, private homes, and yacht clubs around the harbor to catch a glimpse of the floating vessels. Later, holiday revelers can stop by and check out what locals say is the tallest Christmas tree display in the country. A 115-foot-tall white fir stands in Bloomingdale’s Courtyard at Fashion Island, decorated with 17,000 white lights, bows, and ornaments. It’s safe to say you can’t miss it.

27 Chicago
Holiday Sports Festival
From ’da Bears to ’da Bulls, sports last year-round in the Windy City. This month Chicagoans can let loose during the citywide Holiday Sports Festival. For three days at McCormick Place, enjoy a range of activities at the city’s interactive zones, register for tournaments in floor hockey and table tennis, cast a line in one of several fishing ponds, and catch an appearance by the WNBA’s Chicago Sky. At the fitness area you can join in a workshop with certified instructors on everything from salsa to rock climbing. Give your brain a workout, too, with the all-ages chess tournament. Get schooled on nutrition and family safety, and receive a free health screening and flu shots while you’re there. Then join the kids as they romp around the site’s obstacle course and giant slide—because romping is a holiday sport, too.

27 Bastrop, Texas
Africa Comes to Bastrop
Imagine this: You can take a trip to West Africa without ever stepping off Texas soil, thanks to the Africa Comes to Bastrop parade. In Bastrop, Texas, located about 20 miles from Austin, city organizations unite to celebrate the close of 2008. A 12-member African dance and drum ensemble including Djembe drum master and teacher Abubakr Kouyate will entertain the crowd. The parade starts downtown outside the historical 1889 Bastrop Opera House at 1 p.m. and ends at Pine and Main Streets, where the drum circle will perform for the crowd. Keep an eye out for an African stilt walker during the festivities. And with beaded masks and artwork on sale everywhere, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to ensure that Africa arrives—and stays—in your hometown.
 
28 Burbank, California
Equestfest
For a taste of the Wild West, take a ride all the way to the West Coast. In Burbank, California, direct your steed to the Los Angeles Equestrian Center, where you’ll find the annual Equestfest. A celebration of man’s other best friend, this event features the horses that will participate in the upcoming 2009 Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade. This year’s theme is “Hats off to Entertainment,” so prepare to be equinely entertained. Watch dazzling roping performances and precision riding teams strut their stuff. Step from the American West to Ye Olde Days—horses were around back then, too—by cheering on daring joust demonstrations and watching a Medieval Times act. Make sure you leave time for the four-legged guests of honor. Walk through the various stables on the grounds, talk to riders and meet their mounts, and learn all about breeds from Appaloosa to Arabian.

31 Hartford, Connecticut
First Night Hartford
You don’t have to stay up late to watch a spectacular New Year’s Eve fireworks display. Aside from the usual midnight showing, First Night Hartford will celebrate its 20th anniversary with an early-bird fireworks display starting at 6 p.m. While the fireworks shows are free, visitors can also sit down for any number of other pay events, including shadow puppet and vaudeville shows, as well as jazz, calypso, and folk concerts taking place in venues throughout the city. Other festivities include performances from rock ’n’ roll band The Nifty Fifties and acrobatic troupe Flippenout. Take the kids to City Hall where magicians along with balloon and airbrush tattoo artists will entertain, or simply let them run wild until it’s time to tuck them in, then return for an encore.

JANUARY

1 Dallas
New Year’s Parade
Every year in downtown Dallas, Texans live up to their reputation for loving everything supersized during the Comerica Bank New Year’s Parade. The event draws tens of thousands of people every year. Follow the parade route from the city’s uber-hip Arts District to its end point at Victory Park. Watch rival Cotton Bowl marching bands perform during the parade, along with the more than 15 high school marching bands from across the country. The nonprofit J. Curtis Sanford Parade Committee organizes the event; proceeds go to the Field Scovell Scholarship Foundation, which awards grants to North Texas high school graduates. Last year, the event raised $10,000. Now that’s an effort worth trumpeting.

7 El Paso, Texas
Pro Musica Chamber Music Festival
Technically, the annual El Paso Pro Musica Chamber Music Festival melds both music and film—but apparently the organizers deemed “the El Paso Pro Musica Chamber Music and Film Festival” too much of a mouthful. Even so, for a taste of culture in a desert setting, you’ll want to hit the festival. Running from Jan. 7 through Feb. 1, the festival features free performances and full-blown concerts by musicians from around the world, plus a film series screening a different flick each Wednesday. Kick off the festivities by watching a documentary on the Guarneri String Quartet, then head to the Western Hills United Methodist Church to hear the quartet perform in-person. Pianist Awadagin Pratt and violinists Paul Rosenthal and Rachel Barton Pine are just a few of the names in the festival’s lineup, while films like Humoresque and Ben Hur round out the film series. Throw in a side of tortilla chips and Tex-Mex queso, and we’ll even sit through the credits.

8 Miami Gardens, Florida
BCS National Championship
Heat up the nachos and pizza and get ready for the biggest football game of the year. Okay, maybe the second biggest. The FedEx BCS National Championship in Miami brings the annual Bowl Championship Series to a close. Join nearly 75,000 fans in the stands at Dolphin Stadium for the big game or simply settle in to your La-Z-Boy and catch the event on Fox. The annual matchup determines college football’s national champion. (Louisiana State University took home the honors last year.) So break out your foam finger and celebrate your last chance to catch some college pigskin. Until next season, of course.

9 Cambridge, Massachusetts
Boston Celtic Music Fest
It’s probably hard to find a place in the United States that’s more Irish than Boston, which explains why the Boston Celtic Music Fest, now in its sixth year, has so much genuine Celtic spirit. (And we’re not talking about the NBA champs.) BCMFest is a musician-run, grassroots, community-oriented festival that celebrates the area’s rich heritage of Irish, Scottish, and Cape Breton music and dance. More than 40 of the Boston area’s finest traditional and neo-traditional acts—seasoned performers and promising newcomers—tune up their fiddles, flutes, accordions, pipes, and voices to play dozens of shows for two days at venues throughout Harvard Square in Cambridge. Families stroll from the famed Club Passim, where folks like Joan Baez got their start, to the venerable First Parish Cambridge Church, a stone’s throw away from each other across the cobbled walkways of Harvard Yard. The celebratory finale will focus on Celtic-style dance, both traditional and contemporary, plus a showcase of bands playing music on the “fringe” of traditional/Celtic styles. Go green!

10 Phoenix
Mothers and Daughters: Stories in Clay
Witness the camaraderie between three special mother-daughter teams of artists during Mothers and Daughters: Stories in Clay at the Heard Museum. The exhibit will showcase pottery, clay sculpture works, and paintings. If you’re looking for a bargain, wait until the second Sunday, when you’ll probably not have to pay for admission. Known for creating pieces with strong social commentary, Jody Folwell is one of seven mothers and daughters whose work is featured in the exhibit. The others include Nora and Eliza Naranjo-Morse, Roxanne Swentzell and Rose Simpson, and Folwell’s two daughters Susan and Polly Rose. Talk about a family affair.

21 Los Angeles
Art Show
“As the sun colors flowers,” Sir John Lubbock once said, “so does art color life.” Douse your life in color this month at the Los Angeles Art Show, the West Coast’s largest retail art show. At the city’s convention center, you’ll find exhibits ranging from contemporary installations to paintings by the Old Masters. This year, the show nearly doubles in size to accommodate 175 international dealers, a film series, and lively evening mixers. Join more than 50,000 visitors for this five-day event, where you can attend the Artist Films series, featuring movies created by and about artists, or hop over to a discussion led by prominent artists and museum professionals. Just don’t forget the bottom line—the artworks for sale—and if you need a reminder, go ahead and browse the more than 15,000 paintings, sculptures, photographs, and prints primed for a relocation to your living room.

23 Tucson, Arizona
DeGrazia: 100 Years, 100 Works
Celebrate a lifetime’s worth of art in Tucson this month. The DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun will honor the town’s most famous artist, Ted DeGrazia, with an exhibit that showcases both classic and never-seen works. Some of DeGrazia’s most well known pieces on display include Alone, created in 1967, and the 1957 oil painting Los Niños that was used in a UNICEF greeting card. Get your first glimpse during the opening reception on Friday from 6–9 p.m. Aficionados will get treated to a catered buffet, a selection of wines, and live music. Paintings won’t be the only works on display, either. You’ll also get to see the printmaking that DeGrazia produced during the latter stages of his career. And that’s just the tip of the paintbrush—DeGrazia created more than 15,000 works in his lifetime.

23 Spokane, ashington
Smucker’s Stars on Ice
Don’t wait until the 2010 Winter Olympics to see figure skating’s finest. The Emmy-winning production of the Smucker’s Stars on Ice tour starts in Spokane, Washington, this month and will go on to 40 cities nationwide. Olympic gold medalist Scott Hamilton started the skating showcase nearly 23 years ago, and the annual event just keeps on growing. Watch stars like Olympic silver medalist Sasha Cohen and gold medalist Ilia Kulik spin and jump to a soundtrack that includes everything from Beethoven to Celine Dion. This year’s theme is “On the Edge.” We assume they’re referring to the seats.

FEBRUARY

11 Seattle
The Lion King
Good news: Simba and Mufasa will hibernate at the Emerald City’s Paramount Theatre this month. In case you haven’t left your den in the last decade, here’s what you’ve been missing: The musical version of The Lion King has garnered a Grammy Award and six Tonys, and features the first woman in Broadway history to win a Tony Award for best director. Performances will run every night of the week but Monday including two special matinees. The show will feature Elton John and Tim Rice’s score from the animated flick, along with enough other hits to make you and yours feel like kings of the jungle.

18 Seattle
Northwest Flower and Garden Show
Rub elbows (and green thumbs) with up to 70,000 gardening gurus at Seattle’s Northwest Flower and Garden Show. Widely regarded as one of the country’s top draws for amateur gardeners, the five-day event takes place at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center. Browse more than 300 exhibitors spread out over six acres with 26 full-scale display gardens and more than 110 free seminars. Our favorites? Flora Fantasia, where local nurseries show off their best flowers, and the Container Garden Exhibition, where even apartment-dwellers will walk away with top-notch decorating ideas. Funky Junk focuses on using recycled products in your garden, and Sproutopia provides educational fun and games for the youngsters. They’ll be early bloomers by the time you leave.